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Chapter 43
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A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 44
Just then, Jenny came downstairs. Her head hung low, footsteps heavy.Anne hurried to meet her, not asking anything right away. Instead, she took her outside.They sat down in a café, and Jenny finally seemed to calm down. Only then did Anne ask her what happened.Jenny's voice wavered as she said, "Mr. Marshall said he's never seen an actress so hell-bent on ruining her own career.""And then?""I kept begging him. He probably pitied me, so he agreed to let that rookie from Eclipse audition. That's the best I could do. If Eclipse still won't let me off the hook, then there's nothing more I can do."Anne reached out and squeezed Jenny's hand. "It's okay. Take it one step at a time."…Workers were installing wardrobes at the villa, and the furniture was set to arrive soon. The whole place was a mess. On top of that, Anne had plans to go out with Zachery and Sophia.After thinking it over, she called Caesar and asked him to help Jenny find a place to stay and keep an eye on her
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 45
Anne quickly walked past the observation deck, pretending she hadn't seen anything. Fortunately, the beach wasn't far.The shoreline was empty, lit only by a few scattered lamps. The waves crashed against the coast with a deafening roar. Their sound was even more intense in the quiet of the night.Her phone buzzed. She already had a good guess who it was and pulled it out immediately.Harvey texted her, "I had meetings all day. Got a lot out of them. My coworkers seem to like me."Anne chuckled and typed back. "Good. You need to get along with them.""I took them out for drinks tonight, but they were a little stiff," he replied."Well, you guys just met."He asked, "Where are you?"Anne recorded a quick video and sent it over. "Work trip, sort of. I'm on an island right now."After sending it, she waited for a while, but Harvey didn't reply. He was probably busy.Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she walked along the shoreline. When she reached the dock, she spotted a tall
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 46
The treasure hunt had begun. First, Anne needed to find a large windmill.That part was easy. Even at night, the windmill was lit up with twinkling lights. Anne followed the shoreline for about ten minutes before finally reaching it."From the windmill, head southeast. There's a staircase. Go up," Harvey wrote.She circled around and, sure enough, spotted a set of steps with street lights lining the path. Climbing up, she reached a white house with a blue roof."Now, find a very special tree near the house.""A special tree?" Anne was confused."Yep.""No hints?""Nope."Anne glanced around. There were plenty of trees—pines, wax myrtles, holly, and so on. Then, her eyes landed on a maple tree. This time of year, its leaves had all turned a brilliant shade of gold.But what made it stand out was that it had been struck by lightning. Its core had been burned hollow, yet it was still alive, thriving even."There's a metal box inside the hollow tree."Anne switched on her flash
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 47
"Get changed?" Anne asked, confused."Mr. Parker prepared an outfit for you," Lauren explained. "He said it's to thank you for saving his life earlier."Anne was completely lost. Saving his life? That snake wasn't even venomous.Before she could protest, Lauren had already started unbuttoning her dress."I can do it myself!" Anne quickly said.On the bed lay a white satin slip dress, smooth and luxurious to the touch. Next to it were a pearl necklace and matching earrings. She changed into the dress, put on some light makeup, and followed Lauren inside the villa.The music at the party had stopped. As the doors swung open, Lauren gave her a little push forward. Suddenly, every eye in the room was on her."Lauren, maybe I should just wait for Mr. Parker outside…"Feeling uneasy, Anne instinctively tried to step back, but Melanie stopped her."Oh! Anne, I completely forgot about you. Get in here!"She strutted over in her heels, wearing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 48
Everyone in the room froze in shock, especially Melanie, Sophia, and Zachery.Just moments ago, they had said Anne didn't belong here. They called her a clown, mocked her, and even tried to throw her out. But who were they to decide? Liam was the true owner of this place.And now, he had just given Anne the highest form of acknowledgment. Who did those three think they were?Anne wasn't a fan of events like this, and she certainly wasn't fond of dancing. But she did enjoy seeing those three utterly humiliated. So, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she stepped toward Liam.With perfect grace, Liam extended his hand. "Thank you, Ms. Stafford."Anne placed her hand in his. "I might step on your toes.""Then, be gentle."She couldn't help but chuckle as she recalled him rolling on the ground earlier while clutching his left leg."You'd better erase that image from your mind," Liam said."I'll try my best."As they danced, others gradually joined in. Before long, Melanie and Z
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 49
The next morning, Melanie's guests began leaving the island one after another.By the afternoon, Melanie and her group were lounging under a sun umbrella, sipping coffee. When they saw Anne step out of the house, Melanie waved her over.Anne walked toward them with her hands in her pockets. She assumed they were about to tell her to pack up and leave. Instead, they introduced her to a man."Anne, this is my brother, Melvin Frazier. You probably saw him around back in college," Melanie said with a bright smile.Anne turned to Melvin, who was openly sizing her up. His stare was so blatant that it made her skin crawl."Anne, Melvin has liked you for a long time. Back then, he kept his feelings to himself because you were with Zachery. But now that you're single, maybe you should give him a chance," Sophia chimed in.Anne let out a sharp laugh. Were they serious? Setting her up with a guy like this?"You haven't changed. Still just as beautiful," Melvin said as he stood up and moved
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 50
"Have you lost your mind, Lauren?" Melanie snapped at Lauren. "Do you even know who you're talking to? How dare you, a mere housekeeper, step out of line?""I don't care who you are. All I see is a pack of bullies ganging up on a young woman!" Lauren shot back, waving her broom at them like she was ready to charge.Melanie was so angry that her face turned red. "You'd better watch yourself. One call to Liam, and you're out of a job!""Go ahead. Call him. See what happens when Mr. Parker finds out what kind of crap you're pulling on his property!""How dare you!"Sophia pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling like she was taking the high road. "Forget it. We were just trying to help.""'Forget it'?" Anne let out a chuckle. "You think you get to decide when this is over?"She pulled out her phone and dialed. "Hello? I'd like to make a report. Yes, there's a group of people harassing me."The second they realized she was actually calling the police, all four of them froze."Anne
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 51
"I'm sorry, too! I swear, I won't do anything like this ever again. Just let us off this time, please?" Melanie pleaded desperately.Anne narrowed her eyes. "I've already given you more chances than you deserve. You brought this on yourselves."Before long, the police arrived. After listening to Lauren's testimony and reviewing the security footage, they took Sophia and the others down to the station.As soon as they left, Anne immediately called Jenny, asking how to leak the news about Sophia and the others getting arrested.After hearing what happened, Jenny exploded in anger. She cursed them out before telling Anne not to worry. She had a way to handle it.After the call ended, Lauren brought over a chicken pot pie. "Ms. Stafford, why don't you stay on the island a few more days? There's plenty to see and do here."Anne thanked her before shaking her head. "I've already caused enough trouble for you. I should head back.""Trouble? Not at all! We'll be family soon, anyway.""
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A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 150
Meeting anyone from that family would always give Anne an immediate headache. Even though Carol had asked her to wait, she still shut the gate to her yard, making her stance clear.Carol cleared her throat. "I know about you and my son."Anne frowned. "What about me and your son?""That you two have rekindled an old flame. Sophia told me.""You guys are crazy!"Just as Anne turned around to leave, Carol called out behind her, "Anne, you're married to Harvey now. You should let go of your feelings for Zachery. Even if you can't help yourself, you must control it! Zachery can be impulsive at times, but you can't afford to be."We're talking about Harvey here—if he finds out about you two, he won't let you off. The Judd family might be powerful, but even we can't afford to cross the Parker family. For the sake of both our families, you two need to keep your distance."Anne was baffled, completely at a loss of how she should react to this. They truly were one family—their logic was
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 149
Hearing that, Harvey still looked skeptical."I remember very clearly—you don't like cilantro. Every time we eat out, if the restaurant adds it, you always ask me to pick it out for you."Anne was stunned but managed to maintain a calm expression. "You must be confusing me with someone else."Harvey furrowed his brows and started thinking hard. "Could it be that it's Lilian who doesn't like cilantro? Like last time, I mixed it up—she likes taro cheesecake, and I thought it was you.""Well, Lilian and I do have pretty different tastes." Anne chuckled.She reached over, took a taco from his hands, and took a bite from the top where the cilantro was. "The seasoning is spot on. It's really good."Harvey shrugged. "I must've remembered it wrong.""Good thing it's Lilian. If it was another woman, I'd be mad," Anne teased with a playful huff.Harvey raised a brow. "You can doubt my memory, but don't ever doubt my loyalty. That's an insult to my character."Anne laughed. "That serious
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 148
When Harvey got the news, he showed up not long after.Anne threw herself into his arms, fighting back tears. "I want to go home."Harvey kissed her forehead gently. "I'll have them transferred to another hospital. They won't bother you again.""I just want to go home," she insisted."Anne…""Hubby, let's go home." She looked up at him with pleading eyes.Harvey gazed at her, both helpless and doting. "Alright. Let me talk to the doctor."While he went to speak with the doctor, Anne pulled herself together and went downstairs to check on Jenny. When she entered the room, she saw Jenny packing her things."Jenny, are you being discharged already?" she asked.Jenny stiffened slightly before turning around with an exaggerated smile. "I'm fine. There's no need to stay hospitalized. Besides, I can't stand the smell of disinfectants here.""Are you sure you're okay?" Anne asked, concerned."Of course! I have a new audition lined up.""Maybe you should rest a bit longer," Anne sug
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 147
"She ate the food I made! That was my first time cooking, and I made it especially for you!" Sophia shouted, pounding her chest. Her eyes were filled with grievance."How could you let her eat it? How could you trample on my feelings like this?"Zachery paced the hospital room, his frustration boiling over. "Fine! I admit it—I'm still in love with her! I regret marrying you!""Zachery, you bastard!""I'm a bastard? What about you? Sneaking around with Sean behind my back? You're worse than me!""I don't care! You can't treat me like this! You promised you'd only love me and be nice to me! You swore that even if there were other women around, none of them would matter to you, only me! I'm the only one you love!" Sophia sobbed uncontrollably."I… I just didn't know my true feelings back then. I didn't realize it until later, but by then, I had already married you. I've been miserable ever since. Yeah, maybe it's my punishment, but I never actually wronged you—you're the one who wro
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 146
What was the point? Things were over between them."Thanks, but please don't do things like this anymore. It makes me feel annoyed," Anne said in a calm but firm tone.Zachery's face darkened like storm clouds, clearly feeling unappreciated."How's your injury?"Anne let out a deep breath. "It's nothing serious. You don't need to concern yourself with it.""Isn't Harvey supposed to be so amazing? Yet you still got hurt. Hah! The truth is, he doesn't really care about you. If he had, he would've protected you better.""Zachery Judd!" Anne tried not to lose her temper, but he was pushing her buttons. "Who exactly are you to criticize my husband?"Zachery glared at her. "I care about you!""Go care about your own wife. Stop worrying about someone else's wife, alright?""Anne!" Zachery looked like he was punched in the gut. "How can you be so cold to me? You… You used to love me so much!"Anne was beyond exasperated. How much clearer could she be? And yet, Zachery acted like he d
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 145
Anne furrowed her brows and got up to check the door. By the time she stepped into the hallway, all she could see was the back of a man in hospital scrubs, hurrying away in a flustered manner.She pressed her lips together. Even with just a glimpse of his back, she could recognize the man.It was Zachery.Anne ended up sleeping until nightfall. When she woke up, she noticed light spilling from the bathroom and the sound of water running. Knowing Harvey was here, she stayed in bed quietly, waiting for him.After a while, he finally emerged.Seeing she was awake, he walked over with a smile and leaned down to kiss her."Your hair's still dripping!" Anne quickly dodged.Harvey pulled her into his arms and kissed her firmly before pulling out food containers from the thermal bag. "Eat first. I'll go dry my hair."There was some oatmeal, steamed veggies, and two dinner rolls. She only needed one bite to know it was his cooking."I didn't have much time today, so I whipped up someth
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 144
Julius nodded. "I've handed the bar over to Caesar for now. I'll be at the hospital with her these next few days.""She's really scared," Anne said softly."I know.""Jul, she…""I know."Julius couldn't hold it together anymore. He wiped away a tear, then turned and slammed his fist into the wall. "I hate how useless I am. If I'd been able to help her pay off that debt earlier, none of this would've happened."Anne patted him on the shoulder. He was just Jenny's ex-boyfriend. He wasn't obligated to do any of this."Don't think like that. This isn't your fault. But as her friend, she'll need us to help her through this dark time."When Anne returned to her hospital room, Liam and Lilian were already there."You didn't tell Harvey's parents, right?" Anne asked them."Nope. Uncle Harvey specifically told us not to," Liam replied.Hearing this, Anne breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to worry the elders or make them overthink things."Anne." Lilian walked over and hugg
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 143
At the hospital, the doctor treated Anne's wound.Harvey insisted on holding her the whole time, saying if it hurt, she should lean into his arms.Anne felt a little embarrassed. As a doctor herself, she'd always thought patients like this were a bit too dramatic. But now? Okay, fine—she kind of wanted to stay in his arms, too, so she could be pampered and comforted.Still, she gently pushed him away. This was Windbrook Hospital, and the doctor treating her was someone she knew. She couldn't embarrass herself like this in front of a colleague.Harvey stood sulking against the doorframe, watching her pitifully.Her injury turned out to be more serious than expected—she needed to be admitted.This time, she was placed in a VIP suite. Harvey wanted to book the entire floor, but she stopped him just in time."I have to handle a few things. I'll come back tonight to stay with you," Harvey said, then kissed the tip of her nose.After the chaos from last night, Anne could barely kee
A Love Meant to Crumble Chapter 142
Anne frantically backed away, heart pounding in terror. No one knew she was here, so no one would come to save her."God, please don't let this happen," she prayed in her mind.She could no longer stay calm as despair consumed her."No, please. I'm begging you…" Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded over and over.The bearded man started taking off his clothes, leering at her as if he was about to devour her.The cigarette guy nudged the other two men awake. "Come on. Don't miss the show.""What the hell? Why does he get to go first?""Relax. You're second.""Fine. I'll be third.""I'll go last, then. Happy now?"Anne realized she couldn't escape. Rather than be violated, she'd rather end it herself. Gritting her teeth, she flung herself toward the wall.With a sickening thud, her head hit hard, and warm blood instantly blurred her vision.The men shouted in surprise."Damn, this woman's got guts!""Hah, the boss said even if it's a corpse, we still need to get it o
